Yarn Love Challenge

Touching my fibers for most, if not all of the year, led me to realize how much I really love fibers! The Yarn Love Challenge on Instagram has opened my eyes to a world of fellow fiber enthusiasts who also love their fibers! I wasn’t able to keep up and post every day in February, but here are my posts! Many of these can fall under multiple #yarnlovechallenge themes: #close-up #inprogress #whereicraft #community #progress #yarnlove #family #fiberfriends #throwback #selfie #library…

NY Hudson Valley Headband

Skywalker Shawl Swatch NY Merino Wool

Green Eileen & Angora Upcycling

Green Eileen & NY Fibers Knitting

Hog Island Sheep & Alpaca Tweed

Nidia analyzing NY Fiber Micron

Me at the Laughing Goat Fiber Farm 2014

Library of Fibers

The process of following along on Instagram whether I posted or not led me to realize how much fibers are embedded in my everyday life. It ranges from physically touching fibers, reading about them, talking about them, and visiting fiber farms with cute angora goats, alpacas, or sheep. I realized the posts also carry the energy of many contributors to local fibers including fiber farmers, mills, festivals, and designers.

One of my greatest accomplishments in February was finishing an entirely Made in New York hand-spun and hand-knit hat. The fibers included mohair from the Laughing Goat Fiber Farm, and wool from a heritage breed of Hog Island Sheep from the Fingerlakes Woolen Mill. The pom pom is made with angora fibers from Fiber Kingdom, I got the yarn during the Washington County Fiber Tour. I mailed the hat to my boyfriend David in San Marcos CA and he has been wearing it through the surprisingly wet winter season in California. What a lucky hat to spend time in loving company on the east and west coast!